Hopwood Hall Estate is a Grade II* historic house in Middleton, Greater Manchester, England
Hopwood Hall Estate which was the ancestral country home of the landed gentry family of Hopwood who held it from the 12th century is now receiving the much needed care it deserves.
In 1957, the hall was declared a building of historic interest. For a period, the monks transformed a section of the Hall into a bar and music venue for area college students, to raise revenue for upkeep of the hall; graffiti that reads "Get down and boogie" is still visible on a wall inside the building today!
Notable bands/artists that are said to have played there included Ozzy Osbourne, UB40 and Madness among many others. John Lennon reportedly came there one time from Liverpool to help a friend's band.
The restoration cost, ongoing as of 2022, would be about £10.7 million ($13 million) and annual operations of £650,000 ($800,000) with funds raised by DePree and members of the community. The grounds of the House are currently being brought back to life by the very dedicated and amazing volunteers who have spent over 6,000 hours in the sun and rain removing humps, shrubbery and roots to bring back the once beautiful rose garden and grounds.
Some of the volunteers have even had the opportunity to help out on the inside from removing old plaster from the walls to even going as far as taking up classes to learn how to make brand new leaded windows that are slowly being installed in the building.
Some of the volunteers have even started to learn the process of how to create plaster moulds from original wood carvings from the 1600s which will be used in areas of the Hall where the original plasterwork is damaged beyond repair or missing.
Manchester Today had the pleasure of talking to Pam and Boyd Taylor who are both volunteers for Hopwood Hall Estate here's what they told us. "As a teenager in World War 2 Pam’s mum (Winifred Findley, nee Lund, 1925 - 2018) worked for the Lancashire Cotton Corporation whose offices were in central Manchester.
To escape the risk of bombing the company completely renovated and relocated to Hopwood Hall Estate after it had lain empty since WW1 when the 2 sons and heirs perished. Winnie had fond memories of her time there and often spoke of how magnificent it was and how she and the other girls would take turns at overnight fire-watch duty, often being treated to a cooked breakfast by the caretaker the following morning. She was heartbroken to learn of its sad decline and was thrilled when she heard of Hopwood Depree's efforts to save it.
Pam herself has memories of the hall from her childhood as she lived on the then new Hollins Estate and often played in the hall’s surrounding woodlands, and she was determined to see the hall restored in memory of her mum.
In her working life, Pam was a Medical Laboratory Assistant at the National Blood Transfusion Service and in Hospital Pathology Labs, her last post being at Booth Hall Children’s Hospital until its closure.
Boyd’s childhood was spent around Kirkway and Moorclose, unaware of the hall at that time. During his working career, he was a Chartered Project Control Engineer employed by various design and construction firms in the Process Plant industry.
Both are Middleton born and bred, although due to Boyd’s employment, their married life has involved travelling to and working in various parts of the country and the world. They have now been married for 49 years and have 3 children and 4 grandchildren.
They have always had a great interest in the natural world and local heritage and always promised themselves that on retirement they would like to undertake community voluntary work. When they heard about Hopwood DePree and the intended formation of the Friends group they jumped at the opportunity to join in and take part.
They came to the very first meeting of the Friends of Hopwood Hall and feeling frustrated at not being able to start voluntary work inside the Hall for Health and Safety reasons they suggested that a start could be made on the gardens. Hence the Gardening Group was established. The aim was to try and reinstate the gardens from the overgrown mess it had become, and hopefully, deter vandals at the same time.
It was incredibly hard work and seemingly impossible at times, but the help of the college’s sheep was a bonus! One day Pam entered the security barrier and was accosted by the sheep as they thought the trug she was carrying contained food. They soon backed off when they pulled out secateurs and shears instead of hay!!
The task was immense with totally overgrown paths, walls, and steps. They had to cut their way through a jungle of trees, shrubs, brambles, ivy, coarse grasses, fern, and inches of accumulated soil covering the hidden pathways.
Covid Lockdown then intervened, but apart from a few weeks absence they managed to continue in a small socially distanced group without breaking any Government Guidelines and apart from holidays have attended virtually every session since then, come rain, hail, or shine.
Pam loves gardening so it’s an ideal project for her, and she has come up with some good ideas for planting and encouraging wildlife etc.
Boyd also loves to be in a garden as he is very practical and enjoys seeing projects through to completion. He has made us some lovely planters, cold frames and a bird table from recycled timber. He has also developed a skill in grubbing up huge bush and tree stumps and roots using his axe and mattock with the help of the other volunteers in dragging them out. Great teamwork as always!
They both admit it’s hard work but as Boyd says “We don’t need to go to a Gym, this is far better exercise and very rewarding and an extra bonus has been the wonderful new friendships we have made within the group”.
Conscious of the fact that the group were all having to bring their own gear to each session, Boyd placed an appeal on local Facebook group pages for any surplus equipment and it proved highly successful, it was amazing how generous local people and businesses were and the group now has a good stock of donated spades, forks etc. to help in their endeavour.
Last year everyone was thrilled to win an “Outstanding” award from the Royal Horticultural Society in the RHS “In Your Neighbourhood” scheme as part of the Middleton in Bloom events. This goes to prove what a group of volunteers can achieve at almost no cost after raiding all their own gardens, taking plant cuttings, growing plants from seed, and being gifted other plants from friends, neighbours, and a local garden centre. Also, the group makes their own compost and now has donated water buts to help conserve water. The choice of plants also encourages birds, bees, and wildlife into the gardens.
Pam and Boyd are proud to be part of this group and enjoy hearing positive comments about the garden.
The recent new roof, reconstruction of chimneys, some wall repointing, and many new windows are major advances in the hall’s renovation. Looking forward everyone can’t wait to see the next phase of construction work to commence and as the group has a good working relationship with the professional contractors on site they anticipate taking part in future interior work once it is safe to do so.
They have also enjoyed the recent silicone moulding sessions organised by Bob Wall and Carl the humorous tutor.
Open days can be quite a challenge when volunteers try to keep the outdoor area clean and tidy on top of cleaning and decorating the rooms open to the public. Again the camaraderie is second to none and everyone goes the extra mile to ensure a successful day. It is lovely to meet others who share their enthusiasm to restore this beautiful building.
Thank goodness local folk fought to save our heritage until Hopwood DePree came along. Pam and Boyd are indebted to them and Hopwood’s commitment in saving his ancestral home for the benefit of the community. Not forgetting others who continue to support the restoration in the background, as many work behind the scenes and their dedication is appreciated."
Pam and Boyd hope to continue with the voluntary group for many years, even if they have to eventually arrive on Zimmer frames!
On the 31st May 2022, Hopwood DePree brought out his book "Downtown Shabby" A heartwarming and hilarious true fish-out-of-water story as Hollywood producer DePree is determined to rescue the crumbling English estate once owned by his ancestors, no matter the financial, emotional and physical cost.
Hopwood and his dedicated team started a membership programme called The Hopwood Foundation Friends which allows paying members the chance of helping out and saving a part of Middleton's fantastic history.
Members of the public can sign up to The Hopwood Foundation Friends for only £10 annually which includes invitations to special events & perks and supports the mission of saving Hopwood Hall Estate. As a paying member, you can also apply to become a volunteer where you'll be known as one of the people who helped save the once dilapidated building from disappearing from Middleton. If you're interested in signing up and becoming a Hopwood Foundation Friends member you can do that Here be sure to click the "Get Involved" button at the top of the page.
If you would like to make a contribution, please do so below. The Hopwood Hall Estate rescue project is backed by the Registered Charity 1192774, “Hopwood Foundation for Heritage, Arts, Education & Inspiration” which qualifies for GIFT AID. For large contributions or legacy gifts please contact: Office@HopwoodHallEstate.co.uk Be
Be sure to follow the official Hopwood Hall Estate profile page on Manchester Today so you can stay up to date with the progress of this amazing restoration!.
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